Cheeky request for hints about CLKs...

[aSteve]

Hi MB enthusiasts, I wonder if you'd let me pick your brains and take advantage of your collective wisdom....

I currently drive an 11-year old Toyota Avensis (~150bhp, manual, petrol) which has served me well over the last 9 years - but is now showing its age and I want to replace it within the next few weeks. I liked the look of the VW-CC, and test drove two... a basic manual - which was 'good' but lacked power... then the 170bhp DSG... which was an awesome drive... and, while more expensive than I'd like (>£16k typically) it has become my baseline for comparisons. I considered most makes before Mercedes - and, then, only the CLK appeals to me aesthetically.

I've test driven two CLKs - a 220-Sport and a 320-Avantgarde - both low mileage (<40K) and thought both were good - though though the 150bhp 220 was a little under-powered... the 320, by comparison had more power than I ever see myself needing/using. The test drive was on freshly surfaced roads - and I couldn't tell much difference with the suspension... but inspecting tyres revealed the 320-Avantgarde had 255-55s (the same as my Avensis) while the 220-Sport had 255-35s... which made me lean away from the Sport model... I envision driving down rough country lanes with minor pot-holes etc. and would prefer a smooth ride over the fastest cornering on a track. I loved the 'optional' wood dashboard - though the standard Aluminium one was 'OK'.

I'm now wavering on the brink of trying to find a (relatively recent, low-miles) CLK-320 as my next car with a view to keep it 6-8 years... and I realised I had a load of questions that only enthusiast would likely be able to answer... such as:

1. What would the likely maintenance costs be over the lifetime of the car - assuming ~10K average annual mileage?
2. Are there any particularly expensive issues at around the 40K miles mark - things I should check 'have been done'? (Obviously, I'd go over the service history and check the obvious stuff like tyres etc.)
3. Are there any issues with the factory alarm/keys (I've been burned with £200/key costs with Toyota and keys that only last a few years.)
4. I think I'd want Sat-Nav... My Toyta has sat-nav, but I use a TomTom instead as the CD-upgrade costs more for each upgrade than the Tom-Tom outright. Can the MB sat-nav have its software upgraded by the end-user, or is this exclusively an option for MB dealerships?
5. I was shown an ipod connector... I do want in-car MP3s, but is buying an Ipod the right way to do it - given that my android phone has dozens of albums on it anyway.
6. I've been shown the 'phone-connector' under the armrest... Will that work well with my Samsung S2? I assume I'll need an adaptor... are these easily acquired? If my phone is plugged into the car - to charge and give me hands-free - is there any point to the bluetooth option?
7. In addition to Sport and AvantGarde, I've noticed "Elegance" bandied about - though found very few for sale... and that one has no sat-nav. What are the essential differences between Elegance and the other two? How constrained will I be by availability of the various models given my wish to buy a recent low-miles example?
8. In addition to www.autotrader.co.uk and used.mercedes-benz.co.uk - is there anywhere else I should look?

Thanks in advance for any hints/tips.

 

[S.Speed]

Hi Steve,
I will try to answer some of your questions.
I agree with you that the CLK looks a gorgeous car.
I have a C class (203) and must say that the CLK has aged far better as it still looks gorgeous today.
I did actually see a CLK500 the other day..
Is it definitely Petrol you are going for??
If you are open to a Diesel then I can HIGHLY recommend you consider the 5 cylinder CLK 270 Cdi
An excellent compromise of Power / economy..
I get over 50mpg on a run without trying.. If I DO try then I have had mid 60's (Yes you read that right).

2. At around 40k then if its an auto you are looking at you must have the ATF and Filter changed.. Irrespective of whether the car is petrol or Diesel.
3. No issues with keys unless you lose them.. Then they are expensive to replace.. The alarm has a siren that eventually causes trouble.. It is located under the rear of the front passenger side wheel arch liner.. The cure is to disconnect the siren.. Its up to you if you replace or not.
4. The Satnav is a very wise choice for several reasons..
A. On the CLK (if its the face lifted later car) then you benefit from the COMAND NTG 2.5 unit. This has a built in hard drive which can store music.. B. It also has built in Blu tooth which will connect fine with your Samsung phone (I have a Galaxy Note II and it works fine with it).
C. When connected via blu tooth it works the same as a hard wired phone in that it mutes the CD/Radio/Hard drive music when the phone rings or when you dial out.
The NTG 2.5 was never officially fitted to the C class. I had mine retro fitted by "COMAND ONLINE" (Link below).
5. I have an ipod but I don't use it in the car... These people will answer all questions re anything COMAND..http://www.commandonline.co.uk/
6. If you intend to use the phone connector in the centre arm rest then you will indeed need an adaptor. I can say if MB make an adaptor for your particular phone..
7. I personally wouldn't opt for the sport model.. Not just because of the very low profile tyres but because they don't have the wood inside..
Some don't like wood, but I definitely do !

The other answers to your questions will appear before too long.

Hope this helps you a bit.

 

[aSteve]

Thanks for the first replies...

I should have been clearer - my current Toyota is petrol, but my preference for my next car is diesel... I don't need anything 'faster' than my Group-13 Toyota - but I don't want to replace it with something more sluggish, either. The 220 (diesel 2.2L 150bhp) CLK was "OK" - but felt, a little, lacking in power. The 320 (diesel 3.0L 225bhp) was, if anything, overkill on that front. I'd have considered a 270 (which sounds the most suitable) except that the most recent examples I can find are 2005... which is 3-4 years older than the 320 that's currently top of my preference-list. The dealer declared the 270s "a bit agricultural" - but that might have been because he didn't have one to let me try.

Thanks for the heads-up to check ATF & filters were done... and, thanks, too for the info on the NTG... a unit with a built-in hard-disk sounds perfect for me... All I want from music is a load of MP3s on my car stereo... as cheaply as possible. My instinct is that you're right - and I should buy one with Sat-Nav... though keeping its maps up-to-date looks pricey... at £150 per update DVD. It is disappointing that built-in systems don't seem to be as flexible as the dirt-cheap tom-toms... but I really do prefer a unit in the dash to a lump stuck on my windscreen. Whatever I do, I need reliable sat-nav... I exist in a perpetual state of completely lost otherwise.

The weird thing on 'wood' is that the 58-plate 220-sport I drove did have a (fantastic looking, optional extra - I was told) dark wood dash... but no sat-nav and a slightly-too-puny engine and just the 5-speed auto box - rather than the 7. The 58-plate 320 Avantgarde had the aluminium dash - but had a sat-nav... I don't think either car had 'paddles' (I didn't use them) - but I don't think I'd care about that race-track paraphernalia...

 

[S.Speed]

Get the car you actually want..
You can have the factory unit retro fitted as I did..
The COMAND isn't as intuitive as the TomTom (but then nothing is) But you soon get used to it.. I use mine a hell of a lot.

Your dealer is correct about the 270 not being made after 2005 / 2006..
Its not really agricultural..
Once warmed up its really refined.
Yes the 320 is smoother and quieter..
The 220 is the same 170bhp as the 270 but is a more crude unit as it only has 4 cylinders..

The 5 speed box is simpler and tried and tested..
Early 7 speed boxes had some issues but these wouldn't apply to you as you are looking at later models...
The 320 Diesel has an issue with an oil seal which leaks oil onto something called a "inlet port shut off motor" (do a search)..
The causes it to fail.. It costs over £500 to put right !!
Some indys are doing the sensible approach of replacing the oil seal every other service rather than wait for it to fail..
I had an E 320 Cdi with the V6 motor.. Its a fabulous engine and smooth as silk..

I suppose you have the choice of looking for a V low mileage 270..
I looked recently at CLK 270's and there doesn't seem to be many for sale (That says something)..

Pity you are not nearer to me as I would demo how "Agricultural" my car isn't !!

 

[S.Speed]

This is a nice low mileage example of a 270 in a decent colour..
Its the pre face lift but it has COMAND..
The later COMAND NTG 2.5 is a better unit, but not available for this pre facelifted model..

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../postcode/fy60lp/radius/1501/page/1?logcode=p

The one below is a nice 1 owner example..

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../postcode/fy60lp/page/1/radius/1501?logcode=p

 

[S.Speed]

Just been looking at what is available if you forget the 270's and in hindsight I think I would stick to the later cars as there is FAR more choice..
There are some stunning 2008/9 cars around..
The 320 must be very quick indeed. My E320 was quick and that was a lot heavier..

This is one of the nicest 320 Cdi's I have seen..
Even I was thinking silly thoughts..

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../postcode/fy60lp/radius/1501/page/1?logcode=p

 

[st4]

A newer car would be better. It's better to have the extra power of the 320 even if you seldom use it than to feel you're in a slow car.

But the 320cdi is an epic if flawed engine. Terrific power refinement and 220 matching economy but poor reliability. Turbo desks, manifolds, engine bearings turbo actuators all not unheard of fault. The turbo seal ones easily fixed Changing the seal every second service and cleaning around the area very service.

The gearbox speed sensor lets go needing a new valve body. Most faults in the 320 7g are four figure ones. Plus I think the 7g box is lousy.

The 220 and 5g are more reliable.

I'd not rule out a BMW 325d. Smooth and not as fast as the clk 320 and reliable too if you get the swirl flaps blanked off.

 

[aSteve]

I can find it far easier to justify spending ~£10K+ on a 2008/2009 car than a less, but comparable, amount on a 2004. I justified paying £11k for my current car in 2004 on the basis that I could accept £1500/anm depreciation - and if it lasted me 8 years - even if scrap after that - I'd have had a deal I'd be happy about.

I was put off the Jeff White 320 for three reasons... first, the photos have a dodgy background of an aeroplane in them (what's that all about?); second: a tyre looks bald; third: it doesn't have a sat-nav unit in it.

The 220 I drove was a 150bhp (and I could feel the lack of the extra 20 compared to the VW-CC which had a 170bhp engine)... If I could get a 170bhp 220, I'd do that in a heartbeat... but, according to the dealer, all the 220s have an identical 150bhp engine and 5-speed auto gearbox... there were no upgrades/options.

Out of interest, how expensive was it to retro-fit an uprated sat-nav/radio/etc? The web site you posted have prices upwards of £1k for head units, which puts that idea well beyond what I'm willing to pay. Just because audio and phone-connectivity and sat-nav are very important to me doesn't convince me that I should pay through the nose for it.

 

[aSteve]

The 220 and 5g are more reliable.

Hmmm - cat back amongst the pigeons for me then... I have to consider reliability a top priority... sorry to be boring.

It's a pity... at the moment, the CLK looks 'almost perfect' - but not quite... with little choice when it comes to trim-levels on the 2nd hand market... and that what looks as if it was the ideal engine (for me) was discontinued 8 years ago.

 

[st4]

If reliability and dependability are at all virtues in a car you value a 320cdi 7g drive train is not the car for you.

 

[ThinkPad]

I have a CLK, and also CLS. Have you considered the CLS. Think it will also be within your budget. Both great cars, but of course CLS is a class above.

 

[st4]

Or a very reliable 170bhp C class 204 elegance. Sofa castor wheels and in elegance trim that means fake tanned colour wood and beige interiors (or the option of finding one like that) could be just the thing.

A CLS is a very classy car but with v6cdi 7g its not as simple as the 294 c class saloon

 

[Benzworx]

Forget an oil burner and get a petrol engine CLK

 

[Lazzzydog]

Forget an oil burner and get a petrol engine CLK

+1 (but with a ragtop)

 

[The Pan Man]

ASteve, Why Diesel on 10kpa? It does not make financial sense.

 

[television]

The gearbox speed sensor lets go needing a new valve body. Most faults in the 320 7g are four figure ones. Plus I think the 7g box is lousy.

The 220 and 5g are more reliable.

.

It is not true to say the 7g is lousy in all models, or more unreliable, they have made 12m of them and only the odd one gets a problem as the 5g box did when it first came out.

No one post on a forum that "my 7g box is perfect" and all of my friends including me think they are very good.

One big problem with auto gearboxes is, its always been hard to marry them to a small engine so in a B200 the changes may not be very good, but with the larger engines they are great.

 

[ThinkPad]

When people do their 'financial sense' calculations. They often forget to take into account that the residual value of the diesel car come resale time will be higher. At 10k pa the diesel does make financial sense if you take account of all of the variables including resale. IMO of course.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[st4]

When people do their 'financial sense' calculations. They often forget to take into account that the residual value of the diesel car come resale time will be higher. At 10k pa the diesel does make financial sense if you take account of all of the variables including resale. IMO of course.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

And that actually a petrol one is hardly any cheaper and uses way more fuel

 

[st4]

It is not true to say the 7g is lousy in all models, or more unreliable, they have made 12m of them and only the odd one gets a problem as the 5g box did when it first came out.

No one post on a forum that "my 7g box is perfect" and all of my friends including me think they are very good.

One big problem with auto gearboxes is, its always been hard to marry them to a small engine so in a B200 the changes may not be very good, but with the larger engines they are great.

I said I think its lousy given my experiences of it. Including a M273 E500 coupe. You cannot dispute the valvebody/electroplate fault being quite common and expensive to rectify

Good long gearing though for economy which sees the larger engines really do good MPG

 

[The Pan Man]

They often forget to take into account that the residual value of the diesel car come resale time will be higher. At 10k pa the diesel does make financial sense if you take account of all of the variables including resale.

And will be more expensive to but in the first place, anyone with a brain cell knows it's not just about fuel cost.